Song Pledge
by moonlight's goddess21
Summary: so this is a collection of song fics on my fav naruto couples using all different songs. it would be appreciated if you read. the first story so far is naruhina but i may add other pairings depending on the songs i use.HIATUS!
1. You Belong With Me Part 1

_You're on the phone with your girlfriend she's upset_

_She's going off about something that you said_

_But she doesn't get your humor like I do_

The blonde teen rushed from the bathroom, pulling his shirt down over his damp hair. The phone rang loudly again as the sound resonated through the relatively small apartment.

"I'm coming," he mumbled under his breath a she picked up the phone to look at the caller ID.

He paled slightly as the words 'Toshiko Satoshi' appeared on the small screen. He sighed as he reluctantly pressed the 'talk' button on the phone.

"Hey Toshi," he greeted her with forced cheer, hoping her pet-name would hold off whatever storm he knew was inevitably heading his way.

"Naruto!" she nearly blasted his ear out as she yelled shrilly into the phone, "what you said earlier was so insensitive and rude it's unbelievable!"

"Toshiko," he groaned in frustration, running his fingers through his wild blonde hair, "it was just a joke, I already explained this to you."

"Naruto," she huffed on the other end of the line, causing Naruto to roll his startling blue eyes, "there's no way that was a joke. I think I'd know when my boyfriend was joking _and that wasn't it_!  
"We've been over this a million times. Please, Toshi, it's late I need to be able to wake up early for my soccer game tomorrow, remember?"

"Don't talk to me like I'm stupid! I know, I'm a cheerleader, _remember_! Besides I want to make sure you understand that that type of humor isn't always appreciated."

"Yeah, sure," he tried to hurry their 'conversation' along. Why did she always have to look down on everyone; she definitely had not been like this before they started dating. _'I don't get it,'_ he thought, _'Hinata thought it was funny…'_

"But, I'm your girlfriend, not her!" Toshiko yelled.

_'Crap,'_ he realized, _'I said that out loud!'_ Toshiko always had been touchy about Hinata and never ceased to blow up at him or become exceedingly possessive whenever she was mentioned.

"Listen, Toshi, I didn't mean it like—"

"Like what!? You know what Naruto; I don't like how you always spend so much time with her," '_She's my oldest friend besides Sasuke-teme,'_ he defended himself mentally, "How is it we've been together for so long and she knows things you won't even begin to tell me?" '_Because she understands and she's my best friend, besides you and I haven't been together that long,' _"People have started to talk and I'm beginning to wonder if they're right," _'People will always talk, you should trust me enough if you don't trust her,' _"You have to choose Naruto; me or her."

"Wh-what?" he uttered disbelievingly.

"You heard me. I know it'll take some time to get used to but I won't wait forever." Then the line went dead.

Naruto lowered the phone in shock. He seemed to feel worse as the realization of the situation sunk in. He'd been presented with the simplest, yet most complicated choice; his best friend or his girlfriend. Almost on instinct he dialed the only number that mattered.

_I'm in my room it's a typical Tuesday night_

_I'm listening to the type of music she doesn't like_

_She'll never know your story like I do_

Hinata nibbled the eraser of her pencil nervously before sketching a few lines onto the picture. She held her hand idly as she examined the work, only to have a groan escape her as she erased the freshly made lines. _'This isn't working!'_ she thought in frustration as she leaned back onto the pillow of her bed. She sighed, looking over at the radio on the windowsill as she reached for the buttons. In a few quick flicks her favorite son was playing. It was 'Lift Me Up' by Jars of Clay. She rocked her head silently as she reached over to plug in her headphones before placing the over her shiny raven-black hair. She hummed the tune before absently pulling long her up in a messy bun. This was her favorite song; after all it was _his_ favorite song as well. She giggled to herself as she remembered how they had always joked about it being their song. A blush rose to her cheeks as she thought of his handsome features, his—suddenly her musing was cut off as the phone rang abruptly. Reaching over to the ever-crowded windowsill she picked up the phone as she surveyed the name displayed on the screen. Her heart skipped a beat and she nearly dropped the phone as she fumbled to answer.

"Moshi moshi Naruto-kun," he answered somewhat shyly even though he was her best friend.

"Um…uh…hey Hinata-chan," he mumbled nervously.

Hinata froze. She knew that tone all too well. It was the voice he got when something big was happening and he wouldn't tell even her asbout it. He hadn't used that voice since he'd had to tell her that her mother died in a plane crash some years ago. She would always recognize it; his voice became slightly deeper and became heavily laced with sadness despite how hard he tried to fight it off.

"Naruto-kun, what's wrong," she instantly forgot her shyness as she became focused on how to help him.

"What do you mean Hinata-chan?" he asked warily as he fought to cover for himself; his voice was betraying him.

"Naruto…don't lie to me. I know you way to well. Please maybe I can hel—"

"Hinata-chan I don't know what you're talking about," his voice began to rise in frustration.

"Fine Naruto," she answered softly, she hated it when he was angry, he tended to lose control in extreme cases, "Don't tell me now, but know that I'm always there if you need me."

"Thanks Hinata-chan," to her relief his voice was beginning to return to normal, "I just have a lot on my mind right now and I just needed to hear a friend."

Hinata smiled gently at his comment about her being a friend, though she already knew that was true; there was no need for words. "You know I'll always be there for you Naruto-kun. It's no problem. See you in three weeks. Oyasumi Naru-kun," she whispered.

"Oyasumi," he answered back, sounding as though a physical burden had been lifted from his shoulders.

She smiled again before hanging up and setting it back into its holder. She always felt a sense of purpose after she helped him. Turning back to the picture she finally began sketching again as inspiration flowed back to her. She had to finish in three weeks, after all what kind of friend would she be if she didn't get Naruto a birthday present? It was their tradition. She would give him a painting of something they did together that year along with a present and her homemade ramen before they spent as much time as his current girlfriend allowed together before they would part the final present being a slice of chocolate cake. The tradition had come into play since they were five and the resulting scrapbook served as a memoir of their lives together.


	2. You Belong With Me Part 2

_But she wears short skirts I wear T-shirts_

_She's cheer captain and I on the bleachers_

_Dreaming about the day when you wake up and find that what you're looking for has been here the whole time_

The next day Hinata hobbled down the hill next to Konohagakure High school on her crutches, clutching a small shoulder bag as best as she could as she hurried towards her intended destination. The school's favorite time of the year had approached faster than she realized as she done her best to rush to the school: soccer season had started and as always she was the one to paint the team's faces and give them a pep talk of sorts before big games. It was a privilege given to her since not only was she the star pupil in her teacher, Deidara's, art class but she already was well acquainted with most of the people on the team. It was worst when she could play during co-ed games and she had to worry about managing not only the guys but the girls as well as herself. Thankfully, she only had to deal with the guy's team today. Besides, it was always a great excuse to see some of her oldest and dearest friends and give them encouragement. Sighing she picked up her pace as she silently cursed the school for putting the soccer field stadium so far away. In truth the stadium was multipurpose serving for most sports, but soccer was always the big one for Konoha as it was a very popular sport against the rival schools. Today was their opening game against Oto and under no circumstances could she afford to be late!

She sighed in relief as the high walls of the stadium loomed over her. Iruka, one of the teachers at Konoha High, waited patiently for her beside the entrance to the guys' locker room. No matter how much the school saw it as a necessity that the team be fired up before a game Tsunade, the principal, had refused to grant her access to this otherwise restricted area, for a girl anyways, if she didn't have a another teacher escort her. Nodding swiftly she tucked a strand of loose hair behind her ear from her messy bun that she'd hurriedly thrown her hair into that morning when she woke up. It still looked good on her accompanied with a light scarf, a brown denim jacket over a black t-shirt and dark wash jeans cut evenly right before her cast began. On one foot she had on a black converse tennis shoe.

"Sorry," she mumbled to Iruka as she reached him, doing her best to readjust her bag on her shoulder.

"It's alright Hinata-san," he assured with a smile and a quick pat on her shoulder, "your just in time to get the team ready before the game starts."

"Arigato," she puffed in relief as she followed him down the ramp and behind the door.

"They're really excited for this one. It'll be a good thing for them to have plenty of energy and you always seem to be able to boost their morale."

"A-ano, I don't think I really make that much of a difference," she blushed slightly at the compliment.

"It's true. Try asking the team yourself sometime. I'm sure they'll tell you the same thing. Ah, here we are."

Of course Hinata had always known that, she always enjoyed the silent stroll before she entered the chaotic mess where the guys would prepare for their games. She stopped obediently before entering as their usual routine was carried out.

"Alright make yourselves decent! Hinata is coming in!" Iruka yelled into the door as he opened it a crack.

Hinata giggled in amusement as she listened for the loud chorus of cheers and the occasional 'oh shits' or 'why is she always on time…'.

"Hiya boys," she greeted them sheepishly and jokingly as she limped in.

"Ne, Hinata-san, what happened to your ankle?" a concerned voice called out from the crowd of boys.

All eyes were immediately glued to the baby blue cast she was sporting in curiosity, except for Neji, her cousin, and Naruto, who had been there when the accident occurred.

"It's nothing to worry about," she attempted to assure them despite the grumblings dispersed throughout them, "now who wants to get ready to kick Oto's butt?" she asked with uncharacteristic aggression. Still she didn't swear like most would and that would always be one of her defining traits.

She was cheered up by the resounding cheers that filled the locker room as some of the boys even banged on the lockers and the walls. Of course it was only a matter of time before Iruka was yelling for silence and order. She always knew what was happening with 'her boys' as they had dubbed themselves. In their eyes Hinata was a part of the team and sort of like a younger sister for them so some of her older friends on the team were protective sometime so to the point of annoying though Hinata was always patient with them. In other way's she was like their mother as she was probably the most mature one besides Iruka in the room at the moment.

"So who's first?" she asked taking out her paints.

0

Hinata sat proudly in the bleachers as she watched the team stream out onto the field shouting and howling as they were met with the thunderous applause of the crowd. She always loved watching soccer, even when she couldn't play, and she loved supporting her friends even more if that was possible. To Hinata's dismay she also spotted Toshiko rallying the crowds in her cheer uniform. Amazingly it seemed that the black-haired girl had managed to somehow make her skirt shorter than the others. Hinata snorted impatiently as she knew that the only reason that Toshiko was cheer captain was because her aunt was head of the sports department and completely oblivious to the true evil that was her niece. Hinata self-consciously examined her own outfit and glanced up at Toshiko again. Plucking at her t-shirt she wondered if Naruto would notice her if she dressed more like Toshiko.

'_No!'_ she rejected the thought shaking her head for good measure.

There was no way she was going to dress like a slut! Even if it was for Naruto! Hinata slumped in defeat against the shoulder of her friend Tenten, sighing forlornly as she watched the shock of golden hair that belonged to Naruto streaking down the field, all the while wishing with all her might that he'd turn and look at her. Immediately she was thrown into one of her more common daydreams of them pronouncing their undying love for one another.

Tenten's eyes looked at Hinata questioningly for a moment before she realized the meaning of the look on her friend's face and the direction where her unwavering gaze was directed. She shook her head and sighed crossly. Honestly Hinata was really a fool for that boy and it frustrated her to no end that their blonde friend was too dense to see it. Switching her focus back to the game her brown eyes locked onto the running form of Hinata's cousin Neji. But then again she wasn't on to talk…

Hinata jumped suddenly as the crowd let out an earsplitting cheer. Konoha had scored the first point of the game. Brushing off her initial shock she recovered enough to add her support to the dying roar.

'_Maybe someday…'_ she wondered hopefully.

_If you could see that I'm the one who understands you_

_Been here all along so why can't you see you belong with me_

_You belong with me_

"Great job guys!" Hinata high-five each team member as the greeted her in the parking lot, occasionally earning the odd hug from an over-enthusiastic player, including a particular 'green beast of Konoha'. She rubbed her shoulder slightly at that one. He didn't earn that name for nothing.

"Hey Sakura, nice cheer in the third quarter that flip you did was really cool!" Hinata greeted the pink-haired green-eyed girl currently latched onto her boyfriend Sasuke Uchiha.

"You should have been down there with us," Sakura pointed out as she hugged her crippled friend, "you worked so hard with the rest of us to learn those moves!"

"Do you really think that Toshiko would let me be the one on top?" Hinata asked her sarcastically as she shuffled her crutches uncomfortably.

"About Toshiko," Sakura's eyes glowed sympathetically, "I'm really sorry."

"It's okay he's happy so I'm fine."

"Hinata—"

"I'm fine," she lied.

In truth she was really trying to keep her own emotion from spilling out of her as she thought of her unrequited love to the whisker-faced boy. Sakura must have seen the tears threatening to overcome her she hugged Hinata tightly. Hinata knew that she was only concerned for her, after all, after Toshiko had finally gotten the guy she wanted she had done her best job to make Hinata's life a living hell. What pissed off her pinkette friend the most was the fact that whenever Naruto was around she would act sickly sweet and nice and he was the only person oblivious to the truth. The one that really mattered. Her friends had tried continuously to get him to leave her but he would always insist that things were fine. In truth Toshiko had always been uncomfortable with the fact that Naruto's best friend since preschool was a girl 'and a pretty one too' , so her friends were always telling her. At first she'd understood and they'd gone through the standard procedure of her backing off for a couple of days so whatever girl he was dating would get used to the situation. Toshiko it seemed hadn't and instead resolved to eliminate Hinata instead of her own insecurity.

"Arigato for your concern."

"I'll try and work on the dobe for you," Sasuke joked.

Sasuke was the person closest to Naruto besides herself, so much so that the two were like brothers and would never give up their friendship for the world. If anyone could convince him Toshiko wasn't the right choice it was Sasuke. If he failed though…

"Arigato Sasuke-san," she bowed as best she could.

"I told you to stop being so formal, Sunny," he pretended to be annoyed as he clapped her on the back.

"Well, I and Sasuke-kun are going to get some dango!" Sakura chirped happily, "do you want to come?"

"Ano, I couldn't intrude—"

"Nonsense," Sakura huffed, "I invited you! It's time to get you out of this gloomy mood you've been in for the past few weeks!"

"You know that she's going to drag you there anyways," Sasuke sighed to her, patting her head, "may as well accept."

"Hai," she giggled weakly.

Suddenly over Sakura's shoulder she spotted the unmistakable familiar shock of blonde hair making its way towards the parking lot through a large crowd of students all congratulating him. He greeted with cheer so fake that it shocked her and the dejected turmoil shining in his blue eyes pierced her like to weapon could.

"Naruto-kun!" she yelled as loudly as she could, trying to catch the blonde's attention. This time she would find out what was wrong and she'd accept no excuses from him now, "Naruto-kun!"

She watched intently as his bright azure eyes flashed into sight, locking with hers for an instant before his face gained an impassive expression and swept over her. She watched as he shrugged his shoulders to Sakiko, another one of their friends, and walked away. Sakiko's green eyes flashed from me to him in confusion before she ran after Naruto, apparently asking for him to slow his hurried pace. Hinata stared in utter bewilderment at the spot where Naruto had ignored her. She felt crushed as though she was being suffocated. A piercing pain jerked throughout her entire body as she stood frozen. Hinata felt the cold sting of her tears trailing down her cheeks as for the first time in a while she felt…alone…abandoned…for the first time since she'd known him he broke his promise…Naruto Uzumaki had broken his word.

Sakura and Sasuke exchanged a worried and angry glance as they attempted to rouse Hinata from her state. The poor girl had been receding into an emotional slump for days at a time as Naruto had started to avoid her and spend more and more time doting on Toshiko, sometimes right in front of Hinata. This seemed to be the final straw, and for Hinata's sake he had to be stopped before he shattered her heart.

**So this is the second chapter. I almost forgot the disclaimers for the first chapter. I do not own Naruto he belongs to Masashi Kishimoto. I do not own Hinata, Sakura, Sasuke, Iruka, Neji, Lee, Tsunade, or Tenten as they also belong to Kishimoto. You Belong With Me is the featured song by Taylor Swift, and the mentioned song Lift Me Up is by Jars of Clay. I do own Toshiko and Sakiko though! R&R!**


	3. You Belong With Me Part 3

_Walking the streets with you and your worn out jeans_

_I can't help thinking this is how it ought to be_

_Laughing on a park bench thinking to myself_

_Hey isn't this easy_

Hinata sighed miserably to herself as she glowered sullenly at the picture that occupied the center of her bed. It was the picture she had drawn for Naruto for his seventeenth birthday; another big year that he would spend with her. She eyed it, the temptation to rip it up or ruin it at the last second prodding her brain. She shook her head in frustration as she turned back to the mirror. Her ankle had healed nicely in the weeks between its accident and now. She had even painted her toes before relishing in the feeling of wearing sandals again, something she never normally did. She scowled at her reflection as she grabbed the brush and started combing out her wet hair. It would undoubtedly dry soon; it was just easier to get out all the tangles and knots that would form if she brushed it now.

"Stupid, baka," she mumbled under her breath as she thought of her friend, "stupid baka with his stupid blue eyes, and his stupid cute whiskers, and his stupid blonde hair."

The more she listed those beloved qualities the more she could feel her own anger beginning to slowly but surely ebb away. _'No!'_ she inwardly stoked the fires of her anger. _'I deserve to be angry for once!'_ bitter tears stung her eyes as she hastily wiped them away with her bare arm. Naruto had seemed to be getting more distant from her every day and what frustrated her most was that there was nothing she could do to stop. Not one word would change his mind. Despite his 'behaving like an ass', as Temari had so bluntly phrased it, she would still uphold her promise to meet him; though inwardly she planned this to be the last time. All night she'd been tossing and turning as raw anxiety gnawed stubbornly at her. She refused to be giddy, or nervous, or happy, or anything that she'd normally felt. To her dismay her body wouldn't listen to her brain's demands as the familiar butterflies started dancing around her stomach.

"Stop making me love you," she yelled in frustration, slamming down her brush on the counter top as she shoved her hair into an ungraceful bun, "I need chocolate."

Still ranting to herself inwardly she stormed down the stairs in her sweats and t-shirt before making her way to fridge. At one point she barely evaded Neji as he came walking calmly down the halls.

_'What's wrong with her?' _Neji wondered as he avoided his fuming cousin. He already knew the answer of course. The only time she _ever_ was irritated or this thunderous was she and Naruto were having a fight. This time, unfortunately, it only seemed to get worse as time went on and longer than any other argument they'd had that he'd witnessed. Silently he resolved to force the two to make up, talk to Naruto alone, or pray to Kami that his cousin wouldn't kill their best friend.

0

"Ohayo, Hinata-san," he greeted her with some of his usual enthusiasm restored as he approached the pale-eyed girl.

"Since when did you get so formal with me?" she snapped her eyes much colder than he could ever remember, "Never mind, I'm just in a bad mood."

"If you say so Hinata-san," he resented, backing off slightly; he knew first-hand how hard it could be to handle his normally shy friend when she got angry. It was not a pretty picture. He was pretty sure that Kiba may still have a few scars from the time he insulted him when they were in fifth grade. Unwittingly he added fuel to her anger by letting out an amused chuckle.

"What's so funny?" she practically growled at him as she began walking beside him, her eyes penetrating him venomously.

"Ano, I was just thinking about that time in fifth grade when you beat up Kiba for making fun of us," he laughed unashamedly as the memory came back full force, "he was scared of you for the rest of the year; and no one could believe you would do that and they all thought it was me!"

Despite trying her hardest to keep her intimidating face she eventually settled on a small smile as she remembered the two ten-year-old boys staring at her in shock before one broke into tears running to the principal, while the other one simply laughed and smiled. Despite the obvious violence the memory still held humor and happiness at its core. Of course this change in mood didn't go unnoticed by Naruto, and being who he was he couldn't help but crack a joke.

"What's this? Is Hinata-san actually smiling?" he teased, throwing his arm casually around his shoulder.

Just as he predicted she blushed like there was no tomorrow, but her unexpected tense up did bother him a little. Mentally he shrugged it off as something else that was bothering her. _'But if something was bothering her, wouldn't she tell me?'_ that did make him a little uncomfortable that his best friend didn't trust him enough to confide whatever it was in him, but he would just be patient and let her move at her own pace. Suddenly he stopped as a rusted sign came into view. The old wrote-iron was suspended on either side, the words 'Konoha City Park' spelled out elegantly.

"Ne, Hinata-san," he pointed excitedly to the park entrance, his other arm still looped around her shoulder , as he pointed to the gate entrance, "do you want to go to the fountain?"

"We're a little old for that now, aren't we Naruto-san?" for some reason hearing 'san' at the end of his name instead of her usual 'kun' stung a bit.

"No way Hinata-_chan_! We're never too old to go to the fountain! Please?" he begged, giving her his best puppy-face. She could _never_ resist the puppy-face, "It will just like when we were little! We could get Ice Cream before or on the way; your favorite flavor too!"

"Alright Naruto-_kun_," she sighed, pretending to roll her eyes, "we can go to the fountain."

Naruto cheered as he did a little leap into the air, "Toshiko never goes to the fountain with me!"

At this point he was too wrapped up in his success to notice the crestfallen expression now residing over Hinata's usually cheerful, if not shy, exterior. If he did he would now how much his very presence was killing her on the inside.

0

"Ne, Hinata-chan, are you okay? You've barely touched your Ice Cream?" Naruto was becoming increasingly worried about his friend's odd behavior. Every time he called her name she seemed distant and even though her face wore a smile, even if it was half-hearted, he could read the emotions shining through and brimming in her pale lavender gaze. He hated seeing her like this, and he swore the first day that he met her he'd protect her. Right now he knew she needed that promise, more than ever before.

"Naruto-kun, do remember the first time we met?" she sighed, "Do you remember the promise you made to me that day?"

"Hai," he answered gravely, nodding his head to emphasize his point. He knew that whatever was bothering her had to be serious.

"Naruto-kun, why does it feel, everyday, for the past few weeks, like you've been breaking that promise?" Naruto sat there in a stunned silence as he observed his friend. Her eyes were brimming with unshed tears that glistened in the sunlight.

"Hinata-chan," he sighed, setting down the cup with his Ice Cream. In an instant she was in his arms as he held her, stroking her hair soothingly as she sobbed into his shirt. "I'm so sorry Hinata-chan," he mumbled into the fabric of her hoodie, "I never meant to hurt you and I would never intentionally put you through that kind of pain. Onegai, forgive me."

"I-it's alright N-naruto-kun," she stuttered, through her tears, no w falling silently onto his shirt.

_'Did I do this?'_ he realized miserably, _'did I make Hinata-chan this miserable? This sad?' _ He gripped her tighter to him for a moment before letting go finally. "Ne, don't cry Hinata-chan. Let's see that smile again."

Hinata looked up at him and flashed a half-hearted smile. "No, Hinata-chan, I meant a _real _smile." Once again the half-hearted expression made its way onto her face. Naruto sighed comically before he started tickling her, playing his fingers lightly over her small form. Immediately her face burst into a radiant smile and a melodic laugh rang from her. _'That's the Hinata-chan I know.'_

_And you've got a smile that could light up this whole town_

_I haven't seen it in a while since she brought you down_

_You say you're fine I know you better than that_

_Hey what you doing with a girl like that_

Hinata smiled as she darted around the kitchen throwing her ingredients into a bowl. She was much happier since she and Naruto had finally made up to each other on the park-bench. It was a silent relief to her when he'd finally realized what his actions had been putting her through for the past week. She looked over her shoulder to smile at him, positively beaming as she reached for the cupboard beside her. He smiled back, his cheek on his palm. Hinata let the smile slowly melt off her face as she turned back to the bowl in front of her. He was smiling yes…_'but he always seems so sad now. His smile used to be much brighter than that.'_ She sighed quietly so he wouldn't hear as she poured the thick chocolate mix into the pan. Wiping off her hands on her apron, she smoothed it out before sliding the oversized orange oven-mitts onto her hands. She had given them to him one day when he, if reluctantly, told her that he'd burned his hands trying to take something out of the oven. She giggled at the memory as she shut the oven door and set the timer on the stove. As an orphan most people expected Naruto to be really poor, but in reality he'd been left a huge in heritance from his parents, one he was careful not to squander, and whenever he needed it he could always count on financial support from his godfather Jiraiya.

"Naruto-kun," she sighed nonchalantly as she slid into the seat across from him.

"Ne, doo shimashita ka?" he asked automatically.

"I could ask you the same thing," she smirked, resting her cheek on the heel of her palm.

"What do you mean, Hinata-chan? There's nothing wrong, see the smile?" he joked, making his grin stretch comically across his face.

"Seriously Naruto-kun," she was determined to get a straight answer this time, "what's wrong? Even Kyuubi seems to have backed off his usual tricks," she referred to the red pet fox currently curled up a ball by the heater vent.

"I don't know what you're talking about Hinata-chan; I keep telling you everything is fine. As for the furball, he always gets lazy in the fall. It's just a relief to have him out of my hair for once." Hinata's expression remained unconvinced as she folded her arms seriously on the table-top in front of her. "Honestly why is everyone so convinced that I'm upset or there's something wrong. Everything is _fine_."

"Because we know you better than that Naruto-kun. And we care about you…all of us."

"Hinata-chan, name one thing I've done differently that would make anyone think like that!" his voice was agitated as he pushed out his seat to slam his hands on the counter.

"Your smile," she stated her voice thick with sadness, "it's not as bright as before. I can see it on your face every time we talk, every time you laugh. It's like there's less light, like everything is suddenly darker. A lot of people depend on that smile so of course we'd know there's something wrong. Even if you don't believe me, you can ask Sasuke, Sakura, anyone and they'll tell you the same thing. There _is _something wrong," Hinata stood up to lean on the counter next to him, cupping his cheek softly as she turned his eyes to hers, "so please don't push me away again."

His eyes gleamed as they met hers and she knew the look on his face. The look of despair, and shame, and loneliness. It was the look that haunted his face every day for years before they finally came together as friends. As guardians to one another. The look in his eyes caused a blush to play its way onto her face as he leaned his face into her hand gratefully, a barely audible 'thank you' passing his lips. She smiled as she drew her hand away slowly. Both could feel themselves being pulled toward each other as if propelled by some unknown force. Their eyes were closing on inches apart when suddenly the phone rang through the silence. Suddenly realization dawned in his eyes before he turned hurriedly away from her.

"Sorry, Hinata-chan," he whispered guiltily before reaching for the phone, "Hello?"

'Naru-chan!' the shrill voice of Toshiko managed to make its way to Hinata even through the phone, 'Happy Birthday! Sorry we couldn't spend the day together earlier but I can come over now if you'd like!'

"Ano, I don't think that's a good idea," he glanced at Hinata over his shoulder, who sighed dejectedly before turning to get her stuff from the hall, "I have company over right now."

'Naru-chan, you're having a party without me? That's so mean!'

"Actually it's an old friend of mine just having some cake with me," he explained, careful not to mention Hinata's name.

'Who?' her voice already losing its quality of sweetness.

"Nobody," he tried to sound resolute.

'Is it _that_ girl?' she all but snarled into the phone.

"Yes, _Hinata_. I'm hanging out with my _friend_ Hinata," he answered, a little peeved that she would talk about anyone, let alone his best friend that way.

'At your apartment!' she screeched into the phone, causing Naruto to wince in pain as the sound blasted him, 'you're _hanging out_ with another girl, alone, at your apartment!'

"She's my best friend, not just "some girl". We do this every year! I thought I explained that to you already," he struggled to keep his voice calm as he addressed the girl on the phone.

"It's alright, Naruto-kun," Hinata's quiet voice reached him; "I don't mean to cause any trouble. Tell her that I'll leave if me being here makes her so uncomfortable."

'Then leave already!' Toshiko screamed through the receiver.

"I never meant to cause you any discomfort. Happy Birthday, Naruto-kun," was all she spoke before setting down the painting. It was the two of them asleep in front of a large window. Both had on sweat-pants and short-sleeves while snow drifted lazily out the window. It was from their class trip to the mountains and was one of the bet days both of them had enjoyed together that year. Naruto had barely looked up from the painting when he heard the door softly click shut.

'Is she gone?' Toshiko asked bitterly.

"Hai," he voice was overlaid with sorrow as he picked up the painting.

0

Hinata glanced back at Naruto's door as her she heard a muffled voice dripping with sadness. _'Oh, Naruto-kun,'_ she thought bitterly as she descended the stairs, _'what were you thinking when you chose her?'_

**Well that's chapter three! I would like to thank Rose Tiger, Lexar, narutos vixen for reviewing on the first two chapters, and I'd like to show my appreciation to narutos vixen for the first song suggestion. Thank you all for reading and don't forget to review! Once again I own none of the Naruto characters they belong to Kishimoto, the featured song is You Belong With Me by Taylor Swift, and I do own Toshiko.**


	4. You Belong With Me Part 4

_But she wears high heels I wear sneakers_

_She's cheer captain and I'm on the bleachers_

_Dreaming about the day when you wake up and find that what you're looking for has been here the whole time_

It was the day after Naruto's birthday as he hurriedly dressed himself in his hastily chosen attire. Today it was his usual black-and-orange jacket over a plain black t-shirt and jeans, with his regular tennis shoes. He ran out the door to the house as he grabbed his hat from the door-knob to his bedroom, jamming it shut behind him. His shoes skimmed the hallway as he ran out the door, slamming it ungracefully behind him. He didn't stop until the cool late autumn air hit his face as he took a deep breath of the musty scents around him. Thankfully when Jiraiya had been helping him pick out a new apartment, a gift from Jiraiya for sixteenth birthday, the old perv had enough sense to talk him into buying something within a relatively short walk from the school. It had proved to be a wise decision as it had saved him from being tardy multiple times already.

At this point he had gained a fair distance between himself and the apartment complex where he lived, instead taking to eyeing the leaves swirling past him on the breeze. He closed his eyes as he ran over his usual mental checklist. He'd done most of his homework, and what was left could easily be accomplished during study hall, he hadn't forgotten his lunch…_'That's right!' _ he remembered, _'I have to get ahead on all my work so Wednesday I can meet the old perv when he comes back to town for a few days!'_ Despite his obvious scorn for some of his godfather's 'habits' he still felt as though Jiraiya was one of the closest things to family he had besides his friends and a few other adults. Still Jiraiya was one of his precious people and even though he didn't show it he was eternally grateful to him for everything he'd done in Naruto's life.

Still smiling, well more or less so, he reached the front gates of the school. When you first took a look at the school most people thought it was a rich, fancy, private school from its appearance, though it was really a public school; albeit one of the best in the country. How he was still passing in a school like this was beyond him; probably just because he was the school's soccer star along with his other best friend, Sasuke Uchiha, or Sasuke-teme as he so affectionately phrased it. Still smiling to himself he climbed the steps of the school, his eyes scanning the masses of kids for his friends, or more particularly Hinata. He still felt bad about yesterday and desperately wanted to make things right with her again. He knew he couldn't get along normally without her for her for long. And it seemed she did too because the next moment he saw her waving him over enthusiastically. He raised his hand in return, about to call out to her when a familiar voice stopped him in his tracks.

"Naru-chan!" it squeaked shrilly before he felt her weight crashing into his arm.

"T-toshiko?" he grimaced more than asked as she held his arm in a death-grip.

"Oh, Naru-chan! I'm so sorry for being so rude to you on the phone yesterday, though it is your fault for hanging out with her after I asked you not to."

"Ano, Toshiko—"

"No, no. Let me finish," she scolded him, pressing a finger to his lips to silence him, "First of call me Toshi, Toshi-chan, or Toshi-_koi_," she stressed the last word so it sounded sickeningly sweet, "and second off, I've decided to give you a second chance."

"Ano, Toshi—"

"No need to thank me. You just need to work harder and be better boyfriend this time around, because there won't be a third chance. Like maybe tomorrow night you could take me to dinner," she fluttered her eyelashes at him.

"Toshik—"

"Toshi," she corrected him sharply.

He caught the reproachful gleam in her eyes as if she had known all along his intentions to apologize to Hinata. Knowing he was in dangerous waters at the moment he decided that he'd simply wait until physics to talk to Hinata instead of risking his girlfriend' anger. Taking his silence as a cue for her to talk Toshiko wasted no time in filling the empty space with her insistent voice. Inwardly Naruto sighed as he let himself be dragged along until Hinata's form was lost amongst a crowd of their classmates.

0

Hinata sighed dejectedly as she caught sight of Naruto being dragged to the school. She shifted her eyes to Ino as the blonde animatedly described her weekend endeavors. Hinata had been swept into them a few too many times for her liking. They always tended to result in something disastrous or so embarrassing that she'd be thinking about it for weeks. She stared in curiosity as she watched Ino scramble onto one of the stone blocks by the bottom of stares as she recounted this weekend's tale.

"Like that even happened, Ino-pig!" Sakura suddenly glared accusingly at Ino.

"It did too! You can even ask the mall cop, the entire store was flooded!" she defended, placing her hands on her hips.

"Like I'd take the time to ask someone who can't even remember the name of the mall to prove something like that!" the emerald-eyed girl snapped back.

"Forehead!" Ino countered, before leaping off the block and running behind Hinata.

"Ino-pig!" Sakura tried to reach her behind Hinata.

"Hinata, do you think it's true?" Temari suddenly spoke up as the upperclassmen arrived next to Tenten and Reiko.

Sakura and Ino paused in their war-fare to look at Hinata, whose expression had remained distant and forlorn throughout their exchange.

"A-ano, nani? Daijobuu ka? (A/N: did I spell that right?) Why are you guys staring at me?" she glanced around, suddenly noticing Ino clinging to her from behind.

"Hinata!" Ino whined as she detached herself, settling to sling an arm dramatically over Hinata's shoulder, "weren't you listening at all?"

"Ano, G-gomen," she blushed in embarrassment, shuffling her feet a bit.

An uncomfortable silence stretched between the six girls before it was abruptly ended by a loud far-off cheer.

"Ohayo, mina!" Hanako's happy voice distracted them as she could be seen dragging her younger sister, Sakiko in her wake.

"Ane-chan, I think you interrupted something important," Sakiko warned her sister as she pried her gray sweat-shirt from its previous death-grip.

"Hmm," Hanako surveyed the current situation with relative ease before crossing her arms and huffing, "Is Hina still upset over Naruto's birthday?"

"Nani!" Ino and Tenten exclaimed simultaneously, as they both turned Hinata toward them roughly, "What happened?"

"Yup!" Hanako informed the proudly, "this weekend I saw Hina crying to Naruto in the park while I was taking Sachi for a walk! They both looked kinda depressed at first but then—Daijobuu ka? Hina why are you all red? Oh no! Did Hana-chan say something she shouldn't have?"

"What!" Sakura practically yelled in indignation, "He made you cry! Teme-baka!"

"No! It wasn't like that. I just started crying and her felt bad so he was comforting me. That's all. Besides, we always spend his birthday together," she blurted out in defense.

"Comforted you?" Reiko raised an eyebrow suggestively as she leaned against the stone block, "how so?"

Hinata was flaming red as all seven girls seemed to thoroughly examine her with their eyes.

"Rei-onee-chan! You're embarrassing Hina!" Hanako leaped to her defense as she pushed past Ino to throw her arm over Hinata's shoulder.

"Ne, gomen Hinata, I didn't mean to embarrass you. But you still haven't told us what happened."

Suddenly the bell rang as the school doors opened, signaling to the girls that their usual morning rendezvous was over for the time being. Hinata visibly melted in relief as she slung her bag over her shoulder and rushed up the steps, Sakiko following silently beside her. Unbeknownst to Hinata Temari had purposefully remained quiet throughout the interrogation, instead sharing a meaningful glance Sakiko. She could already see the storm that was about to be unleashed.

_If you could see that I'm the one who understands you_

_Been here all along so why can't you see you belong with me_

_You belong with me_

Naruto still wore the continuing dejected expression on his face as filed into the guy's locker room with Sasuke. He had waited and kept watch for her all day, but he still couldn't find Hinata! He was starting to get agitated, and people were starting to notice. Well, Sasuke was anyways, and he was going to find out before Naruto started snapping at anyone who talked to him. If there was one thing that the Uchiha had learned about his friend was that an agitated of angry Naruto was _definitely_ not something you wanted to be around. However, it seemed that Sasuke wasn't the only one noticing strange behaviors. His girlfriend, Sakura, had informed about the episode at the steps that morning with Hinata. Both of them were hiding something that had happened and their gloomy moods were beginning to annoy him. Shutting the door on the locker he was about to speak to the whiskered blonde when another voice interrupted him.

"Naruto-san," a deep voice addressed him.

"Hm?"

Sasuke glanced beside him to see Hiroshi's imposing presence standing cross-armed in front of them. Sasuke mentally groaned in exasperation. It was clear that Hanako was unable to refrain from sharing the latest gossip amongst their friends with her older and _extremely_ protective brother. Naruto on the other hand, in his current state of mind, was unable to comprehend the dark promise lurking beneath Hiroshi's greeting. Hiroshi was a senior and although he treated them with respect he made it clear he was none too crazy about the idea of his little sister's having guys as their friends. As a result he felt the need to protect not only his siblings but their friends, namely Hinata, Sakura, Ino, Temari, and Tenten, from harm as well. Naruto had hung out with Hiroshi a couple of time before when he'd chosen to tag onto one of their group get-togethers. He was a relatively cool, albeit intimidating, guy who was someone you wanted in your corner.

"Hanako told me that you made Hinata-san cry. Is this true?"

"Nani? Where did you hear that?" Naruto was completely caught off guard. He'd expected for the upperclassmen to assign him some menial task; after all he was only a sophomore and most freshmen were usually kept busy.

"Hanako told me. She said she saw Hinata-san crying to you when she took Sachiko for a walk yesterday. Once more I'll ask you, did you make Hinata-san cry?" he stated, unfolding his arms slowly.

"No dammit! Why the hell would I do that!" he nearly yelled, _nearly_.

Unfortunately the noise was enough to catch the attention of Neji, who up till then was conversing with Kankuro and Rock Lee. Seeing Hiroshi staring down Naruto was enough for him to quickly and politely break off his conversation and make his way over to them.

"Excuse me, Gekko-senpai, but what seems to the problem," Neji calmly faced the looming upperclassmen.

Though he probably forgot or wouldn't admit to it later, but at that moment Naruto had regarded Neji as either a bigger baka then him, or the bravest person on the face of the earth. Must be the samurai blood. Even though they were evenly matched in height, Neji was still a junior so even for him this was a daring feat. Luckily for him though the Hyuuga were masters at concealing their emotions and channeling massive amounts of emotion to their eyes. It seemed that the clear challenge and intent in his eyes connected because a moment later, Hiroshi relaxed slightly, though his own dark eyes never left Naruto.

"I heard from Hanako today that Naruto-san seems to have upset Hinata-san greatly. Hanako saw her crying and I believe that Naruto may have been the cause of this."

"Really, because I heard a similar tale, though if you were aware of the current situation you may have interpreted things differently. I am pleased by your concern, but I am her cousin and if anything were wrong I would have taken action long ago."

"I see. I apologize Naruto-san," without so much as a backwards glance Hiroshi had disappeared into the neighboring aisle of lockers, though his presence seemed to linger behind.

Sasuke let out a breath of relief and even Neji seemed a little less tense. Naruto however was simply confused, and it showed on his face. What did Neji mean by "if you were aware of the current situation"? What was the situation? Was there ever one and when did it happen? In the end he just let out a frustrated groan and banged his head against his locker in defeat. He never knew what was happening anymore. What frustrated him the most was because he knew he was at fault for that. His noticeable how much less time he was spending with his friends at the requests of Toshiko; and he knew how it was affecting his friends as well. With many of them, mainly Kiba, Shino, Kankuro, and Choji, he was more distant than he ever was and it was beginning to bugg him. He was silent as he pulled his shirt over his head before stuffing in the locker along with his back-pack and books before pulling on his practice jersey instead. Impatiently he pulled off his shoes and socks before reaching for his shin-gaurds.

"Yo, Dobe," Sasuke suddenly spoke up as he began strapping on his own shin-gaurds, "if you want I can help you look for her?"

Naruto simply gave him a blank stare as he stopped mid-way into pulling on the second guard.

"Hinata," Sasuke spoke slowly, still focusing on his own equipment, "I'll help you look for her. I may not know exactly what's going on but you clearly have some apologizing to do and you're just going to sulk in the mean time."

Naruto was silent for a moment before he resumed his earlier work. His voice was low and hard to hear as he pulled his sock into place.

"Thanks, Sasuke,"

The Uchiha only smirked and shook his head.

**Yay! Sorry it's been so long since my last update! I took a vacation and then school came out of nowhere to pummel me. I **_**hate**_** school. Anyways I hope you enjoy and I'll try to work harder against the never-ending flood of homework. Disclaimer time! I do not own Naruto, Hinata, Ino, Sakura, Tenten, Temari, Sasuke, Neji, Kankuro, or Rock Lee. The featured song is You Belong With Me by Taylor Swift. I DO own Toshiko (ugh, unfortunately), Hanako, Reiko, and Sakiko. Don't forget to review. Thanks for your support!**


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